Based on the best-selling novel by Stieg Larsson, this Swedish thriller keeps you on the edge of your seat from the very beginning. The story begins with our protagonist, journalist Mikael Blomkvist (played by the gruffly superb Michael Nyqvist) being charged with libel after publishing a controversial piece and subsequently being sentenced to prison. Luckily, he's got some months to kill before actually having to serve his time... just enough time to investigate another high-profile case. The head of the powerful Vanger Corporation taps Mikael to find out what happened to his beloved niece, Harriet, almost 40 years after her mysterious disappearance. Unbeknownst to Mikael, the Vanger Corporation has also hired expert hacker Lisbeth Salander (played to sullen and sociopathic perfection by Noomi Rapace) to run a background check on Mikael and make sure he can be trusted. Through a stroke of luck and sheer genius, Mikael and Lisbeth are unexpectedly thrown together to uncover the secrets of the Vanger family. Mikael and Lisbeth make an unlikely pair but they complement each other beautifully; watching them discover new clues is like watching a perfectly-executed symphony. Nyqvist gives Mikael depth and a hard intelligence, while Rapace lets moments of naked vulnerability shine through Lisbeth's angry, hard-shell exterior. The intriguing and gripping mystery at the center of the film almost plays second-fiddle to the mystery surrounding the two central characters. A word of caution: The film's intense scenes of sex and violence are not for the faint of heart; the apt (if rather simple) title "Men Who Hate Women" is how the book and film are known in their native Sweden and is indicative of the horrific crimes against women that are depicted. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is part of a three-part series of books, known as The Millennium Trilogy, and after watching the first action-packed installment I am on the edge of my seat to see what's next.
5 out of 5 stars
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